Sacramento mayor after NBA pitch: ‘We are playing to win’

The figureheads in Sacramento’s battle for the NBA’s Kings were in high spirits — joking around, praising each other, feeling quite confident — after their pitch Wednesday to the league, having countered the Seattle group’s plan to buy the team and move it north.

They all echoed the same statement: “We are playing to win.”

From left to right: Investor Mark Mastrov, investor Vivek Ranadive, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and California state Sen. Darrell Steinberg speak with media after their presentation Wednesday to the NBA. (Richard Drew/AP Photo)

“I can truly say we had an A team who brought their A game, and I couldn’t be more proud as a mayor,” Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said during a news conference after their presentation in New York City. “We got a chance to tell our story, which we feel is very compelling.”

He’s been leading the charge to out-bid Seattle arena investor Chris Hansen, who has negotiated an financial deal to build a new venue in Seattle and has reached an agreement to buy a controlling stake in the Kings for $341 million. The NBA this month must approve or reject Hansen’s acquisition and his application to relocate the team to Seattle.

Johnson pulled together four deep-pocketed investors — Vivek Ranadive, founder of Silicon Valley tech firm TIBCO; Mark Mastrov, founder of 24-Hour Fitness; Ron Burkle, a California grocery store magnate; and Paul Jacobs, CEO of telecommunications giant Qualcomm — to join forces on a counteroffer for the Kings. If the NBA rejects Hansen’s bid, the team’s majority owners, the Maloof family, could entertain the Sacramento group’s offer, which Ranadive said he thinks would be satisfactory to the league.

The NBA’s finance and relocation committees on Wednesday heard presentations from both the Seattle and Sacramento groups. Also at issue are the two cities’ plans to build new arenas — one Seattle has been working on for more than a year, and one the Sacramento City Council preliminarily approved just last week.

“I think it was pretty simple,” Johnson said. “(The NBA owners) felt that the Seattle group that went before us laid out their case and claim for why they thought Seattle is the best market and where the team should end up, and we got a chance to lay out our case — which I happen to believe was more compelling, even thought I wasn’t in their room.

“The NBA said both sides did a good job, and they’re going to continue to deliberate and ask questions”

Johnson said Sacramento’s pitch focused on three areas. One, the city’s 28-year history with the NBA and the fact it’s a one-team town. Two, Sacramento’s status as the nation’s 20th-largest TV market (Seattle is 12th), and the potential for many revenue streams for the Kings. And three, an arena plan Johnson and the other members of the Sacramento group think is strong.

Joining them in the presentation was California state Senator Darrell Steinberg, who traveled to New York on a red-eye flight to assure the NBA’s committees that Sacramento’s arena plan is feasible despite its recent development.

“I too am on a little bit of a cloud — not that we know what the outcome will be, because we respect the process and the decision that the NBA owners have to make here — but they certainly got Sacramento’s and California’s best case here,” Steinberg said.

“We will do whatever it takes to avoid unnecessary delay and make sure that this $1 billion of economic investment in downtown Sacramento — the hub of our region, the capital of California, three blocks from the Capitol — that this comes to fruition.”

Ranadive said the NBA asked “fair” questions in a “fair” hearing. The Sacramento group’s nearly two-hour meeting at NYC’s St. Regis Hotel followed the Seattle group’s 90-minute pitch, during which Hansen and other members of his group — including Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and King County Executive Dow Constantine — explained the details of Seattle’s plan for the NBA.

In his own news conference, Hansen said Wendesday’s meeting was the culmination of 883 days of hard work, all condensed into a single, comprehensive presentation.

Yet, for Sacramento, this is the second recent year fans have had to worry about losing their team. In 2011, the Maloofs nearly moved the Kings to Anaheim, Calif., but the NBA blocked relocation after Johnson put together a similar last-minute deal for a new Sacramento arena. The Maloofs later backed out of that deal, and that’s why history is repeating itself.

History may also repeat itself if the Kings indeed move to Seattle. In 2008, despite outcry from Sonics fans, Seattle’s basketball team was relocated to Oklahoma City and renamed the Thunder, after Clay Bennett took ownership of the team and asked that Seattle spend millions to refurbish KeyArena. Local leadership balked, and the NBA approved the Sonics’ relocation.

The league has never rejected a binding purchase agreement between existing team owners and prospective new owners. The league also never has voted to relocate a team from a city that has a plan for a new arena and ownership. And the NBA’s owners, if they reject the Kings’ sale to Hansen, would also be turning their back on a deal that would substantially increase the value of their own franchises.

Now that the NBA committees have heard Wednesday’s presentations, they will soon make a recommendation to the full Board of Governors, which is expected to vote on the issue during their April 18 meeting.

“This is not the beginning of this battle, this is the culmination of a 16-year saga in this community,” Steinberg said of Sacramento’s battle for the Kings. “And we made the case that there’s only one fair and right way for this to conclude, and that is with victory for Sacramento and for California, and I feel very good about the case we made here this afternoon.”

Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen is interviewed after his meeting with the NBA regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings basketball team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hansen and Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer have agreed to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the Maloof family for $341 million, but the deal needs league approval. less

Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen is interviewed after his meeting with the NBA regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings basketball team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hansen ... more

Photo: AP

Image 2 of 32

Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen is interviewed after his meeting with the NBA regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings basketball team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hansen and Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer have agreed to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the Maloof family for $341 million, but the deal needs league approval. less

Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen is interviewed after his meeting with the NBA regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings basketball team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hansen ... more

Photo: AP

Image 3 of 32

Seattle Mayor Michael McGinn is interviewed after his meeting with the NBA regarding the the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings basketball team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer have agreed to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the Maloof family for $341 million, but the deal needs league approval. less

Seattle Mayor Michael McGinn is interviewed after his meeting with the NBA regarding the the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings basketball team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge ... more

Photo: AP

Image 4 of 32

King County Executive Dow Constatine, left, and Seattle Mayor Michael McGinn are interviewed after their meeting with the NBA regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings basketball team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer have agreed to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the Maloof family for $341 million, but the deal needs league approval. less

King County Executive Dow Constatine, left, and Seattle Mayor Michael McGinn are interviewed after their meeting with the NBA regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings basketball team to ... more

Photo: AP

Image 5 of 32

Image 6 of 32

Seattle Mayor Michael McGinn is interviewed after his meeting with the NBA regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings basketball team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer have agreed to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the Maloof family for $341 million, but the deal needs league approval. less

Seattle Mayor Michael McGinn is interviewed after his meeting with the NBA regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings basketball team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge ... more

Photo: AP

Image 7 of 32

King County Executive Dow Constatine, is interviewed after his meeting with the NBA regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings basketball team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer have agreed to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the Maloof family for $341 million, but the deal needs league approval. less

King County Executive Dow Constatine, is interviewed after his meeting with the NBA regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings basketball team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. ... more

Photo: AP

Image 8 of 32

Seattle Mayor Michael McGinn is interviewed after his meeting with the NBA regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer have agreed to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the Maloof family for $341 million, but the deal needs league approval. less

Seattle Mayor Michael McGinn is interviewed after his meeting with the NBA regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge fund manager ... more

Photo: AP

Image 9 of 32

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, second from right, joined by Mark Mastrov, left, Vivek Ranadive, and California state Sen. Darrell Steinberg, right, speaks to reporters after their meeting with the NBA regarding the the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings basketball team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Investor Chris Hansen and Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer have agreed to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the Maloof family for $341 million, but the deal needs league approval. less

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, second from right, joined by Mark Mastrov, left, Vivek Ranadive, and California state Sen. Darrell Steinberg, right, speaks to reporters after their meeting with the NBA ... more

Photo: AP

Image 10 of 32

Image 11 of 32

NBA Commissioner David Stern speaks after meetings Wednesday, April 3, 2013, in New York regarding the the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings basketball team to Seattle. Investor Chris Hansen and Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer have agreed to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the Maloof family for $341 million, but the deal needs league approval. less

NBA Commissioner David Stern speaks after meetings Wednesday, April 3, 2013, in New York regarding the the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings basketball team to Seattle. Investor Chris Hansen and ... more

Photo: AP

Image 12 of 32

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, center, is joined by Vivek Ranadive, left, and California state Sen. Darrell Steinberg during interviews Wednesday, April 3, 2013, in New York after their meeting with the NBA regarding the the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings basketball team to Seattle. Investor Chris Hansen and Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer have agreed to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the Maloof family for $341 million, but the deal needs league approval. less

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, center, is joined by Vivek Ranadive, left, and California state Sen. Darrell Steinberg during interviews Wednesday, April 3, 2013, in New York after their meeting with the NBA ... more

Photo: AP

Image 13 of 32

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, left, hugs California Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg during a news conference after their meeting with the NBA regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings basketball team to Seattle, Wednesday, April 3, 2013, in New York. less

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, left, hugs California Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg during a news conference after their meeting with the NBA regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento ... more

Photo: AP

Image 14 of 32

King County Executive Dow Constantine arrives for an NBA owners meeting regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer have agreed to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the Maloof family for $341 million, but the deal needs league approval. less

King County Executive Dow Constantine arrives for an NBA owners meeting regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge fund manager ... more

Photo: AP

Image 15 of 32

Image 16 of 32

King County Executive Dow Constantine arrives for an NBA owners meetings regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer have agreed to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the Maloof family for $341 million, but the deal needs league approval. less

King County Executive Dow Constantine arrives for an NBA owners meetings regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge fund manager ... more

Photo: AP

Image 17 of 32

Seattle Mayor Michael McGinn arrives for an NBA owners meetings regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer have agreed to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the Maloof family for $341 million, but the deal needs league approval. less

Seattle Mayor Michael McGinn arrives for an NBA owners meetings regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge fund manager Chris ... more

Photo: AP

Image 18 of 32

Seattle Mayor Michael McGinn arrives for an NBA owners meetings regarding the the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer have agreed to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the Maloof family for $341 million, but the deal needs league approval. less

Seattle Mayor Michael McGinn arrives for an NBA owners meetings regarding the the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge fund manager Chris ... more

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS

Image 19 of 32

Oklahoma City Thunder owner Clay Bennett, chairman of the NBA relocation committee, arrives for an NBA owners meetings regarding the the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer have agreed to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the Maloof family for $341 million, but the deal needs league approval. less

Oklahoma City Thunder owner Clay Bennett, chairman of the NBA relocation committee, arrives for an NBA owners meetings regarding the the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings team to Seattle, in New ... more

Photo: AP

Image 20 of 32

Image 21 of 32

Mark Mastrov, left, and Vivek Ranadive, two of the three men who are key to Sacramento's effort to keep the Sacramento Kings, arrive for an NBA owners meeting regarding the the possible relocation of the Kings to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer have agreed to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the Maloof family for $341 million, but the deal needs league approval. less

Mark Mastrov, left, and Vivek Ranadive, two of the three men who are key to Sacramento's effort to keep the Sacramento Kings, arrive for an NBA owners meeting regarding the the possible relocation of the Kings ... more

Photo: AP

Image 22 of 32

NBA Commissioner David Stern arrives for an NBA owners meetings regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer have agreed to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the Maloof family for $341 million, but the deal needs league approval. less

NBA Commissioner David Stern arrives for an NBA owners meetings regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge fund manager Chris ... more

Photo: AP

Image 23 of 32

Sacramento Kings supporters gather outside the hotel where NBA owners are meetings regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer have agreed to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the Maloof family for $341 million, but the deal needs league approval. less

Sacramento Kings supporters gather outside the hotel where NBA owners are meetings regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge fund ... more

Photo: AP

Image 24 of 32

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, left, and California state Sen. Darrell Steinberg arrive for the NBA owners meetings regarding the the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer have agreed to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the Maloof family for $341 million, but the deal needs league approval. less

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, left, and California state Sen. Darrell Steinberg arrive for the NBA owners meetings regarding the the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings team to Seattle, in New ... more

Photo: AP

Image 25 of 32

Image 26 of 32

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, left, and California state Sen. Darrell Steinberg arrive for the NBA owners meeting regarding the the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer have agreed to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the Maloof family for $341 million, but the deal needs league approval. less

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, left, and California state Sen. Darrell Steinberg arrive for the NBA owners meeting regarding the the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings team to Seattle, in New York, ... more

Photo: AP

Image 27 of 32

Sacramento city councilman Allen Warren, left, and Sacramento Kings investor Phil Oates confer outside the hotel where the NBA owners are meeting regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer have agreed to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the Maloof family for $341 million, but the deal needs league approval. less

Sacramento city councilman Allen Warren, left, and Sacramento Kings investor Phil Oates confer outside the hotel where the NBA owners are meeting regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings team ... more

Photo: AP

Image 28 of 32

The ''Playing to Win'' tour RV is parked outside the hotel where NBA owners are meeting regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer have agreed to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the Maloof family for $341 million, but the deal needs league approval. less

The ''Playing to Win'' tour RV is parked outside the hotel where NBA owners are meeting regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge ... more

Photo: AP

Image 29 of 32

Dave ''Carmichael Dave'' Weiglein, organizer of the ''Playing to Win'' tour RV, is interviewed outside the hotel where NBA owners are meeting regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings team to Seattle, in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer have agreed to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the Maloof family for $341 million, but the deal needs league approval. less

Dave ''Carmichael Dave'' Weiglein, organizer of the ''Playing to Win'' tour RV, is interviewed outside the hotel where NBA owners are meeting regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings team to ... more

Photo: AP

Image 30 of 32

Image 31 of 32

Sacramento Kings fans signs the ''Playing to Win'' RV parked outside the hotel where NBA meetings regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings basketball team to Seattle are happening Wednesday, April 3, 2013, in New York. Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer have agreed to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the Maloof family for $341 million, but the deal needs league approval. less

Sacramento Kings fans signs the ''Playing to Win'' RV parked outside the hotel where NBA meetings regarding the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings basketball team to Seattle are happening Wednesday, ... more